Mail-bag catcher.



C. B. DAYIS, MAILBAG CATCHER.

. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- IO. 19!]. 1,250,808. I Patented Dec. 18,1917:

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A v mmvrom Q w Charles .BDav

- I By ATTORNEYS C. B. DAVIS.

MAIL BAG CATQHEB.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I0. 1911.

Patented Dec.18,'1917.

2 SHEETSFSHEET 2.

INVENTOR WITNESSES I C her/Ties .BDavs Br ATTORNEYS a5 @J i-L arrows.- IV v 7 31is an. enlarged slde, elevatlon of they v mail agt catcherasitrappears whentviewedl :Toellaohomit mayconcern; I a

Be itimown that I, CHARLEs BLAKSL Y,

MAIL-BAG Carol ne. 1

DAv1s,-a citizen of the Unitedstates, and a resident of 'Chicago, in thecounty of Cook;- and'Stateof Illinois, have inventeda new and usefulImprovement in Mail-Bag Catch ers; ofwhich the following. is i.specificationn r LMy invention relates to improvements 7 mail catchers,and it consists in the constructions, combinations, and arrangementsherein described and claimed. f

:An ohjectofnnryinvention isito provide 7 I automatic.- mail bag.cat-eherewhich is [so 7 ar; ranged that'after it has once-been.- ;set bythe;i mail .clerk; no further attention; needdoei oaid to itg thusiobv-iatinglthe necessity of stand; ing'g-byrtheimailbagrcatcher andsightmgf-l itet .a mail :bagIsuitably supPQrtBQ; at :Way;

station.v

Anotherz obj ect-of the .inventiomis to p roa vide airmail bagicatcherwhich normally lies; against the side of the carawhen not in use themail i bag, catcher. including a; trip is adapted tube/struck; by ajmailbagb-When the; deviceis set the impact of the mailbag causing; the trip;to collapse; andautoxnati-:

callythrow thebagsinto thecan. I 7

Another object of the invention is to-pro-b videta mailbag catcher;which may be interchanged from one siderofmthe,carrto the hen d pl c e hnge ces ieg g/air tachedjto, theiasillstof the1car--;doors on each,

Otherobjeets and: advantages vvilla appear a in, k the followingspecification, reference bej ing had to the. accompanying, drawings,;.inz

whiohzi Figure 1 is a side elevation ofi a :por-tiom of. 1

a; car shoWing..-the improved casting applied};-

t0,the doorway.

E'g,.;,21.is ,a. cross section onithe line oftFig. 14 looking in (the),direction vof the-i v In learrymgs out my invention, :1 provide a 7 trapframe. 1. which: ,is located .across.,;one a p or the other oftwo. doors2.0f a maili car iin The trap frame 1 may be, constructed of any,

suitable ,material that is strong%. enough to wll' h ilalldliihfinfollghusage -to W embe s cated inthe dra wings v r The trap ffvrame 1comprises parallel memsp ifi ation-Qt e i ej I Patented Dec; 18; 1917.Application filed SepteniberlO, 19117. s na nd eaesi; 'i

vice to- "he putfand referably is cone struct'ed' of channel steel somehatas indioutwardly as indicated in Fig. 4.- The trap framerl issupported on a frame support 5 which carries supporting bars 6 to Whichthe lparallel members of the trap frame 1 arehinged at 7; l r

The supporting'gbarsfi are securedto the framesupporto ir any suitablemanner, and the -frame support; 5 .may consisteither. of

' The frame support;

a {solid bar: or a pipes 5" carries hooks 8fwhich; are fitted into the;

castings 9 secured to the rounded portion of one ofo the vertical doorsills 2. The cast- 1ngs.'9?. areduplicated in each door of the carairdfobviouslyjthe bag catching :device mayhelappliedato either side ofthe car'sd that bags nlay beicaught when the: train is I traveling ineither direction.

A trip 9ilis hinged at 1 O.to a cross bar 11 of. the trap framel; Thetrip, .9 consists of v parallel, members which are curved towardthecarv-3, as indicated in Fig. 4:, and are spaced apart for suitably;arranged space I bars 12.,

Recoil 1 springs 18 are-riveted to the ends of-the trip members 9 ,-andthe recoil springs are curled at their free ends and adapted to. engageone ofa plurality of lorace bars-14c of the trap. framed as shown inFigs. 3 and 41.1 .A t ipbar ldis pivoted at one end to ears 16 securedto one of the bars 12 ofithe trip 9 The other endof thetriphar-15 is vpiyotedfto the fulcrum stud 17 of an arm 18 loosely mounted ontheframesupport 5;

Links, 19are connected between the ful- ,crumgsmd; jand, a .stud 20;which passes thronghiears 21: s ecured: to a bar 220f the trapframe 1.Leaf springs 23fare secured Y attheir ends to the frame support 5 and toh ther bar 22 of the trap frame. 1, the

springs;=23,heingi designed to thrust the throat'endli lrrof the trap,frame 1 against the side-of the ,car 31in the normal position indicatedrin ,Fig. 4.}

at .25 :at {the front, and floy cross. braces 24, a

he trapvf lame 1 is additionally; braced y which spanione' of:thebracebars. 25 at the i front, and the bars "14L. and :22, respectively.

The, operationiofjthe device is as folloyvs The. trap frame 1 is {set tothe position indifate! a ree-flee lig" t. were mail bag M. The trip 9 ispulled out to bridge the space between. the throat piece 4:

and the car 8. In pulling the trip '9 out, the trip bar 15 also pullsupon the fulcrum stud 17 and moves it in advance of a line drawn betweenthe pivotalpointand the links 19 Y on the stud 20 and the frame support5, in

which position, the linksQO- and the arms 18 toward the bag which entersthe throato-f the device and strikes the trip' 9. v The im pact of thebag against the trip 9, causes the links 19' and "arm 18 which arebraced against each other, to-collapse, whereupon the leaf springs 23-quickly thrust the trap frame 1 toward the side of the car 3 and throwthe mail ba M through the doorway 2 into the car.

The operation of catching the mail bag M is entirely automatic. The trapframe 1 is panyingdrawings'are'those of agenera1ly' preferred form,obviously modifications and 7 changes may be 'made Without departinginvention orthe scope set to the position indicated in dotted lines 1n.F1g. 4c, and no further attention need be] paid to the device. The carand theca'tching device in advancing toward the mail bag M, receive thebag in the throatformed between the trap 1 and the side of the car,where the trip 9 which holds the trap frame 1 away from the car, isstruck and causes the collapse of the link members that hold thetrap'frame open. The trip bar 15 pulls the trip 9 back to the positionindicated in full lines in Fig. 1, after the trap frame 1 has movedinwardly toward the car.

coil spring 13 which is carried by the-trip and which engages the bar 14of the trap frame.

While the construction and arrangement of the device as illustrated inthe accomfromthe spirit of the of the claims." i

I claim: v 7

1/111 bag catcher, a trap frame having "a pivotal support and beingdisposed across the doorway of a. car, a spring nore mally urging thetrap frame toward the car, a trip pivoted. to the inner. face of thetrap frame. and extending approximately to the side of a car when thecatcher is in operative position, and link devices connected withthetrip and holding the trap frame open against the tension ofthe'springwhen-set, the end of the'trap frame and the trip forming a throat forrec iving it bag,

The shock of returning the trip 9 is absorbed by there menses the. trapframe projecting the bag through the doorway upon striking the trip andreleasing the link devices.

2., In a mail bag catcher, a frame support disposed in the doorway of acar, a trap frame pivotcd on the frame support and including a curvedthroat piece, a spring secured to the trap --frame and the frame supportto normally press the throat piece against. the side of the car, linkdevices for" bracingthe trap frame in the open position,

" a trip pivoted to the, trap frame atthebase of the throat pieceandeXtending-toward the d'ooropening to form a passage for the mail bag,and a trip bar connected to the trip and the link devices, to collapsethe bracing connections of the link devices and obtain the automaticprojection of a mail bag through the door opening under the ten:

sion of the spring.

disposed in the doorway of a car, a trap frame pivoted on the framesupport-'and including a curved throat piece, a spring" secured to thetrap frame and the frame support to normally press the throatipiece"against the side of the car, link devices fOI"; bracing the 'trap'framein the open position, i a trip pivoted to the trap frame at theba'se ofthe throat piece andextending toward the door opening to form a passagefor the mail bag, a trip bar connected to the trip; and the linkdevices, to collapse the bracing 3. In a mail bacatcher aiframe' su) orti n .a i

connections of the 11111; devices and obtain the automatic projection ofa mailbag through the door opening under the tension of the spring,janda recoil spring carried by" the'tripQ I i 4. In a mail bag catcher, aframe support, hooks on the frame support, castings for receiving thehooks, said castings'being se cured to a door sill of a car dooropening, a supporting bar secured to the frame sup-" port, a trap framepivoted'to the su'pportin'gbar, links pivoted to the trap frame andhaving a fulcrum stud, an arm loosely mounted on the frame support andpivoted on the fulcrum stud, a trip pivoted on the trap frame, a tripbar pivoted to the trip and the fulcrum stud, a lug on one 'of'the linksto'br'ace the links against the arm when the trap frame is in openposition,'and-a'leaf' spring secured at one end to the frame 'sup portand atthe other end to the trapframe tonormally urge the trap frametowar'd the car. i 1

5. In a mailbag catcher, a swinging; and spring pressed frame, a trippivoted to the frame, a loosely mounted arm havinga fulcrumstud, linkspivoted'on the stud and to the frame, and a bar having one end, pivotedto the trap and its other end to the fulcrum. stud of the said arm. I

6. In a. mail bag catcher,a support ing arms and adapted to besecured toa car,

a frame pivoted to the arms of the support,

the end of the throat piece being curved out- \vardly, brace bars forthe parallel members of the trap frame, a frame support having hooks forremovable connection With supporting means carried in a car dooropening, the parallel members of the trap frame being pivotallysupported on the frame sup I port, a spring secured to the frame supportCopies '01 this patent may be obtained for and to the trap frame tonormally urge the throat piece into engagement With the side of the car,an arm loosely'mounted'on the frame support, links carried by the trapframe, a fulcrum stud connecting the links and the arm, the fulcrum studbeing arranged to stand in advance of a line drawn between the pivotalpoint of the links on the trap frame and the frame support," a lugcarried by one ofthe links for engaging the .arm When the trap frame isopen, a trip care ried by the trap, frame and forming a closure for the,throat formed between the throat piece and the sideof the car When thetrap" fralneis open, a trip bar pivoted to the fulcrum stud and the tripto brace the bracing connections of the links and the arm upon theimpact of a mail bag With the trip, and

a recoil springcarried by the trip.

1 CHARLES BLAKSLEY DAVIS.

five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of ZEatenta,v Washington,11.0. a I

